Fire-control device.



s. TOUSEY. FIRE CONTROL DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILEDJULY 28,1917- Patented Dec. 24, 1918.

uwmron 667 8) ATTORNEYS tinrrnn fsrarn's" P ENT QFFICE.

SINCLAIR TOUSEY, OF -NEW YORK, N. Y.

. FIRE-CONTROL DEVICE.

Application filed July 28, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

')I'OjGCtll9 generally a parabola, and that when the object fired at is at a great dis tance the barrel of the piece must be elevated accordingly.

This elevation is efiected by raising the rear sight of the piece so that in aiming, the resulting elevation of the front of the barrel will occur. It is necessary, however. that the person aiming the piece be able to see the object aimed at so that a line may be drawn between the two sights and the object, which will bring the barrel to the proper angle of elevation. At certain distances and under certain circumstances it is impossible and impracticable for a person aiming a piece to view the object aimed at, and it is an object of my invention to provide means which will enable the marksman to fire it when it is positioned at the proper angle of elevation, regardless of whether or not the object aimed at is visible. as j In battle, a very small percentage of the shots fired are carefully directed, but the piece is held so as to directthe projectile approximately in the line toward the enemy, and the proper elevation is very often a mattor of guess-work.

One of the more specific objects of my invention is to prevent the firing of the piece except when it is held at a predetermined angle of elevation. To this end, I provide a secondary controlling device for the firing mechanism in addition to the ordinary controlling device therefor. This ordinary conling device which is adjustable so that it is Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 24, 1918.

Serial No. 183,225.

effective to release the firing mechanism at any predetermined elevation.

It is also a further object of my invention to provide such a secondary controlling device which is adjustable to a position wherein it is ineffective at all elevations to restrain the firing mechanism.

Other and further objects of my invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with the drawings forming part of this specification. Such further objects will be pointed out in the claim appended hereto.

In the drawings, in which like reference characters indicate similar parts,

Figure 1 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of the firing mechanism of a rifle which has associated with it a controlling mechanism embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a modification showing my invention associated with a different type of fire arm; and h Fig. 3 is a crosssectional view on line -33 of Fig. 1.

While I discloseand describe my invention in connection with a rifle, it is to be understood that its adaptation is not limited to fire arms of this type, but it may be associated with any type of fire arm, whether it be a pistol, revolver, machine-gun, howitzer or cannon or fire-arm of any type whatsoever, or to any other device wherein a tube or barrel is used to give direction to a projected body.

Referring to the drawings for the purpose of disclosing the single embodiment of my invention chosen for the purpose of making it understandable. the stock of the rifle is shown at l and the breech mechanism to which the barrel is attached is shown at 2. The hammer ii may be pivoted as at 5 or it may be arranged to slide longitudinally within other parts of the breech mechanism. In the form shown in Fig. 1, the hammer is provided with an integral boss 6 which has a tooth 7 into engagement with which the trigger 8 is held by the spring 9. The spring 10 acting on theroller 11 tends to force the hammer into contact with the firing pin 12. This is an ordinary mechanism, and the arm is fired by moving the trigger so that it is moved out of engagement with the tooth 7. One form of secondary fire control means for carrying out my invention comprises a circular disk 13, which is pivoted upon the screw 14 which is threaded into the plate 15 in one side of the stock and a restraning member hereinafter described. The disk 13 is provided with a Weight 14 which holds it always. in a given position by the action of gravity. The disk 13 has a flange 16 on-its periphery and surrounding this flange is a ring 17. Mounted upon this ring are the pointed lug 18 and the large lug 19, the functions of which will be hereinafter described.

The ring 17 is provided with a slot 20 and through this slot extends a screw 21 which is threaded into the flange 16 so that it may be tightened up to clamp the ring 17 against movement relatively to the disk 13. The ring 17 has upon it an arrow-head 22' and the disk 18 has upon it an elevation gage 23. The ring 17 may be slid around on the disk 13 by first tightenin the screw 14 to clamp the disk stationary, and then by undoing the screw 21 and sliding the ring 17 around by pressure upon the lug 2 1 to bring the-arrow opposite the desired point on the elevation gage 28- The screw 24 is then tightened and the screwi i loosened.

The disk is then free to rotate and it will remain in the desired position. under the action of gravity. V

p A secondary restraining member 25 is pivoted at 26 and has a hook end 27 en-.

gaging a projection 28 on the hammer 4. 'TnFig. 2 the military-type of rifle is shown in which the trigger 8 is pivoted at upon the sear 51 which is in turn pivoted at 52 upon the frame-work and held by the sear spring 53 in'such a positionthat the end 54 thereof engages with the lug 28 on the-hammer 4:.

The member 25 is provided with a lug 29in the path of the lug18 so that when the piece s brought to the proper elevation, the lug 18 engages the lug 29 and the part 27 releases the lug 28 on the haminer. If the trigger 8has previously been operated the above operation will result in a complete releasing of the firing mechanism and the piece will be fired. If the trigger has not been pulled, the trigger will keep the firing mechanism in set or cooked position and the piece will not be fired. It is evident that by sliding the ring 17 around on the disk 13 to the desired position, the lug 18 will strike the lug 19 when the piece is brought 'to predetermined elevation for the disk 13 always assumes the same position under the action. of gravity. The marksman may, therefore, hold his piece above or below the desired-"elevation and copl'ei or this patent may be obtained for ates with the part 28 in the construction shown in Fig; 1", the main difference in this construction being that the part 54: of the scar 51 and the part 27 both coe aerate with V the same projection and rest side by side.

The spring 32 tends to hold the lug 29 inthepath of the lug 18 and to hold the member 27in the path of the member 28 on. the hammer. The lug 19 is mounted upon the ring 17 so that the ring may he slid around on the disk 13 until the lug 19 engages with the lug 29 and the screws 1-1 and 21 are then both tightened. It will be apparent that under these conditions the secondary controlling mechanism is so adjusted that the rifle may be fired at any elevation desired. It is evident that my secondary controlling means, which is effective for releasing firing mechanisnronly upon the attainment of the proper elevation thereby, may be associated with firing mechanism of any type whether it be firing mechanism operated by an electric circuit controlled by a switch, or a magneto, or any known type of firing mechanism which is, or may be, associated with projecting tubes or barrels of any type. Therefore, I do not limit my self to the particular construction disclosed, but intend that my invention shall be defined only by the hereunto appended claim, and that it shall include such modifications, adaptations and variations as may occur to those skilled in the art. i

Having thus described my invention,'what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is In a fire arm, a member movable to fire said piece, a trigger-operated restraining means for said 'member, a secondary restraining means for said member, a pendulum-operated means including a cam for SINCLAIR ToUsEY.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner or Batents, Washington, 13. 9;" r 

